ACT Government Concessions for Surviving Spouses After a Death

One of the quieter financial shocks after a death in the ACT is the disappearance of concessions. When the deceased held a Pensioner Concession Card, many of the household's ongoing cost reductions—on property rates, electricity, gas, and water—were attached to their eligibility, not the household's. The surviving spouse may have been benefiting from these concessions for years without knowing they were dependent on the deceased's card.

Once the deceased is removed from the account, those reductions often stop. If the surviving spouse does not independently qualify and apply, their holding costs can increase suddenly at exactly the wrong time.

The Key Concessions Available to ACT Surviving Spouses

1. Pensioner Rates Rebate

The ACT Revenue Office offers a Pensioner Rates Rebate of 50% on the annual general rates for a principal place of residence, capped at $750 per year (verify current amount with the ACT Revenue Office).

Eligibility: You must hold a current Pensioner Concession Card or a DVA Gold Card (including Gold Card TPI/War Widow). The concession applies only to your primary residence, and you must be the owner or co-owner of the property.

If you inherit the property from the deceased but do not hold your own concession card—because you were previously claiming the benefit via your partner's card—you will need to:

1. Apply to Services Australia (Centrelink) for your own Age Pension or eligible income support payment, and ask which concession card you qualify for; then
2. Apply separately to the ACT Revenue Office for the Pensioner Rates Rebate once you have your own card.

Each eligible applicant needs to apply separately. Ask the ACT Revenue Office when the rebate will take effect rather than assuming it is backdated to the date of the death.

2. Rates Deferral for Older Surviving Spouses

If you are aged 65 or over and hold at least 75% equity in your home, the ACT Revenue Office allows you to defer the payment of rates entirely. The deferred amount accumulates as a charge against the property and is settled when the property is eventually sold. This is distinct from the Pensioner Rates Rebate—you can apply for the rebate first, and defer only what remains unpaid, or defer the full amount if cash flow is the primary concern.

This is particularly valuable for surviving spouses who are asset-rich but income-constrained after the loss of a partner's pension.

3. Electricity, Gas, and Water Rebate

The ACT Government's Utility Concession—covering electricity, gas, and water—provides eligible pensioner households a rebate calculated daily based on a seasonal rate. For 2025–2026, the total rebate for an eligible household is approximately $800 (verify current amount with the ACT Revenue Office or Access Canberra).

Like the rates rebate, this concession is generally administered through the utility provider (ActewAGL for electricity and gas; Icon Water for water) based on your Pensioner Concession Card status. When the deceased is removed from the utility account, the concession may be removed at the same time, even if the surviving spouse holds their own card.

To ensure continuity:

• Contact ActewAGL and Icon Water promptly after obtaining your own concession card
• Ask each provider to re-apply the concession to the account in your name
• If the concession was removed during the transition period, ask for a retrospective adjustment

4. Motor Vehicle Transfer and Duty Concession

If the vehicle was previously registered in the deceased's name, you will need to transfer registration to your own name. Access Canberra's deceased-estate process can waive the vehicle identity inspection and exempt the transfer from motor vehicle duty when the required transfer, statutory declaration or estate documents, and duty-exemption form are supplied. Confirm the current process with Access Canberra.

5. Health Care and Medical Concessions

Your own Pensioner Concession Card can reduce prescription costs under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). Other benefits may include:

• Bulk billing where available
• Reduced cost ambulance cover (check your insurer)
• Reduced public transport fares via the ACT Government's concession ticketing

The PBS concession attaches to your own card. Other benefits—such as bulk billing, ambulance cover, and ACT public-transport fares—depend on the provider or scheme; Services Australia does not issue all of them automatically with the card.

How to Transfer or Obtain Your Own Concession Card

If you were not previously receiving your own income support payment and therefore did not hold your own Pensioner Concession Card, the first step is applying to Services Australia:

• Age Pension: If you are of pension age (currently 67), apply immediately. The claim can be lodged online via MyGov. Processing typically takes several weeks.
• JobSeeker: If you are under pension age and need income support after your partner's death, you may qualify for JobSeeker; ask Services Australia about any applicable bereavement payment or exemption.
• Carer Payment continuation: If you were receiving Carer Payment or Carer Allowance for the deceased, Services Australia allows these to continue for 14 weeks post-death, giving you time to transition.

Services Australia determines which concession card accompanies your payment; do not assume that every eligible payment automatically produces a Pensioner Concession Card. Once you have a card that qualifies, you can apply to the ACT Revenue Office for the rates rebate and ensure your utility providers update their records.

Stamp Duty Exemption on Property Transfer

If the deceased owned property in the ACT and it is being transferred to you as a surviving spouse under the will or through intestacy, the transfer is generally exempt from conveyance (stamp) duty provided the transfer conforms fully to the terms of the will or intestacy rules. If you are buying out another beneficiary's share—for example, purchasing the deceased's 50% share that was left to children—duty applies to the purchased portion only.

Apply for the exemption through the ACT Revenue Office at the time of lodging the Transmission Application (Form 032-TA) or Notice of Death (Form 015-ND) with Access Canberra's Land Titles Office.

Common Mistakes Surviving Spouses Make with Concessions

Assuming the concessions transferred automatically. They do not. Concessions follow the person and the card, not the property or the account.

Waiting months to apply for their own Age Pension. The rates rebate and utility concessions cannot be applied until you hold your own card. Every week of delay is money not claimed.

Not asking utilities for backdated adjustments. Providers have discretion to apply adjustments where the removal of the concession was administrative. It is always worth asking.

Not knowing about the rates deferral option. Many surviving spouses pay full rates out of an already strained income when they could defer the balance and preserve cash flow.

The ACT Survivor Benefits Navigator includes a dedicated concessions checklist—covering the Pensioner Rates Rebate, Utility Rebate, motor vehicle transfers, and health card benefits—with the exact contacts at the ACT Revenue Office and Access Canberra, and the sequence for applying efficiently after a death.

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